Photographic-shutter-operating mechanism.



PATENTED JUNE 14, 1904.

J. H. HAMMER.

PHOTOGRAPHIG SHUTTER OPERATING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 18, 1903.

N0 MODEL.

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UNITED STATES Patented June 14, 1904.

PATENT OEEIcE.

JOHN H. HAMMER, OF MARQUETTE, MICHIGAN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 762,711, dated June 14,1904:.

Application filed August 18, 1903. Serial No. 169,911. (No model.)

To all whom-it may concern:

Be it known that I, J OHN H. HAMMER, a citi- Zen of the United States,and a resident of Marquette, in the county of Marquette and State ofMichigan, have invented a new and Improved Photographic ShutterOperating Mechanism, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription.

My invention relates to an improvement in photographic apparatus, andespecially to apparatus designed to automatically operate a camera forinstantaneous photography.

The purpose of the invention is to provide a trigger-operatedcushion-controlled device for making and breaking a circuit connectionwith an alarm device, a bulb-operating device operated by the alarmdevice, the bulb acted upon being connected with the shutter of acamera, and means whereby the trigger may be brought into actionmanually or through suitable connections with an alarm-clock or trap toeffect a closure of the said circuit whereby the device may be set toprovide for an automatic instantaneous photographing of animals, birds,or the like or moving objects.

Another purpose of the invention is to provide supports for thebulb-operating device and the camera which enables such parts to bevertically adjusted, rotated, and arranged at any desired inclination.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of theseveral parts, as will be hereinafter fully set forth, and pointed outin the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis specification,

in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts inboth the figures.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the apparatus in its entirety, and Fig.2 is a detail perspective view of a portion of an arm of thecircuit-controlling device and a portion of the trigger for holding thearm in a given position.

A represents a support of any suitable character adapted to carry thevarious parts of the apparatus. These parts consist, primarily, of anelectric controller B, connected with an alarm device O and a battery Dor other sourcc of electrical supply located between the electriccontroller and the said alarm device, being in circuit connection withboth.

E represents a bulb operating or compressing device, E a camera theshutter of which is operated through the medium of the bulbcompressingdevice, and F and F represent brackets which are employed, respectively,to hold the camera on the support A and to connect the bulb operating orcompressing device E with the said support.

The electric controller consists of a base 10, from which metal uprights11 are carried, and one of these uprights is provided with abinding-post12, as is shown in Fig. 1. Between the upper ends of theupright 11 an arm 13 is pivoted, which arm extends upward from the saiduprights and then inward, as is also shown in Fig. 1. A spring 14.located between the outer or longer end of the arm 13 and the base 10,acts to normally carry the outer end of the arm 13 upward. At the innerend of the arm 13 a curved head 15 is located, and this head isconnected by a link 16 or its equivalent with a pump consisting of aplunger-rod 17, the plunger whereof operates in a cylinder 18, carriedby the base 10, as is also shown in Fig. 1. This cylinder at its bottomportion is provided with the usual controllingvalve whereby to regulatethe amount of air to be forced out therefrom by the plunger in a giventime. The valve is set by operating a finger 19, attached to the stem ofthe valve and located at one side of the base, the said finger beingadapted to travel over a suitably-dividedscale.

A second binding-post 20 is secured to the base 10, adapted to beengaged by a contactpoint 21, pivotally located, preferably, where thearm 13 connects with its head 15, as is also shown in Fig. 1, and suchcontact occurs whenthe outer end of the arm 13 has been forced upward bythe aforesaid spring 14:. This contact is what I denominate asafetycontact, the main contact 21 being an upright spring-tongueconnected with the screw key or binding-post 20, which tongue has anoutwardly-offset upper portion adapted when is made to close the circuitthe alarm will be continuously sounded until the head .15 is againraised. It is possible, however, that the pump may leak or that thevalve may be out of order to such an extent as to permit the projection21 of the head to drop out of engagement with the contact 21, andthereby stop the alarm. In such an event the auxiliary contact 21 willengage with the post and insure a continuance of the alarm until thecircuit is purposely broken; but the auxiliary contact may at the optionof the operator be turned to one side, and thus be out of action.

The alarm device C is in the nature of a gong and may beof any approvedtype electricallyoperated. A wire connection 21 is made between thebinding-post 12 and a binding-post 22 on the alarm device, a second wireconnection 23 being made between a second post 22 on the alarm deviceand a post on the battery D, while a third connection 2 1 is madebetween a second post on the battery and the binding-post 20, carried bythe electric controller, as is fully shown in Fig. 1.

' The arm 13 of the electric controller B is normally held in a lowerposition, compressing the spring 1 1 by means of a trigger comprising apost 25, mounted to turn in the base 10, and a pin 26, which extendsfrom the post to an engagement with the upper face of the aforesaid arm13, as is illustrated in Figs. 1 and 5. An arm 27, attached to the postand extending outwardly at an angle thereto,

has attached to it a link, cable, or cord 27,

and the said link, cable, or cord may be connected with a suitablemechanism on an alarmclock or with a trap, so that when a certain timearrives the post 25 of the trigger will be returned to release the arm13 and close the circuit between the controller and the alarm device orwhen a trap is sprung the same result will be obtained; but it will beunderstood that the trigger may be operated by hand when so desired.

The bulb operating or compressing device E consists of a lower arm 28and an upper arm 29, pivotally connected, as is shown at 30 in Fig. l,and at the same end of each arm 28 and 29 curved heads 28* and 29 arerespectively secured to or made integral with the said arms; but the twoheads 28 and 29 curve in direction of each other and are one below theother.

A cup 31 is pivotally attached to the head 28- of the lower arm 28,while a convexed plate 32 is pivotally attached to the head 29 of theupper arm 29, the said convexed plate 32 being immediately over the cup31.

The bulb 33 ordinarily employed in operating the shutter 35 of thecamera E is connected with the said shutter by the conventional rubbertube 34, and at what may be termed the outer end of the upper arm 29 arecess 36 is produced, while a latch 37 is pivoted to the correspondingend of the alarmarm 28 of the bulb operating or compressing device,being so curved that at its upper end a shoulder 39 is formed adapted toengage with the outer end of the upper arm 29 of the said bulb-operatingdevice and hold the convexed plate 32 so far from the cup 31 as not topress the bulb 33, placed between these two parts, and at this time aspring 38, located between the two arms 28 and 29, is placed undercompression.

The latch 37 is provided with an upwardlyextending bar 40, which may beintegral therewith, and a link or cord connection 41 is provided betweenthe said extension 10 from the latch and the hammer of the alarm device,as is also shown in Fig. 1.

When the shoulder 39 of the latch 37 is made to enter the recess 36 inthe upper arm 29 of the bulb operating or compressing device, the twoarms are locked in their open position, and should the alarm device beaccidentally operated it will have no effect upon the arms to releasethe upper one and compress the bulb located between the cup and platecarried by the arms. When the bulb operating or compressing device isset up, the operation and position of the parts are those shown in Fig.1.

I provide two bracke s F and F, which are of the same construction, oneof the brackets being adapted to support the camera E and the other thebulb operating or compressing device E, and the brackets can be fastenedto any suitable support.

Having thus described myinvention, Iclaim as new and desire to secure byLetters Patent-- 1. A photographic apparatus, comprising an electriccontroller, an alarm device in electric circuit with the controller,means for operating the controller, and a bulb operating or compressingdevice, connected with the alarm device and brought into compressingaction by the closing of the circuit between the said controller and thealarm device, as described.

2. In a photographic apparatus, a device for operating a camera-shutter,and an electric controller governing the operating action of theshutter-controlling device and comprising a pivoted andspring-controlled arm, a contact carried by the said arm, a secondcontact with which the contact of the arm is adapted to engage andreleasable means for locking the arm with the contacts separated, asdescribed,

3. In a photographic apparatus, an electric controller, a triggerarranged to normally hold the controller out of operative position, abulb-operating device, a latch adapted to hold the bulb-operating deviceout of operative position, and means for releasing the latch fromlooking engagement with the bulb-operating device, influenced by theoperative action of the electric controller, as set forth.

4:. In a photographic apparatus, an electric controller, an alarmdevice, an electric circuit in which the controller and the alarm deviceare located, a trigger adapted to hold the controlling device normallyout of operative position, a bulb operating or compressing device, alatch adapted to hold the parts of the said device out of normaloperative position, and means for releasing the latch, controlled by thealarm device, as set forth.

5. In a photographic apparatus, an electric controller including acylinder, a piston operating therein and an adjustable valve for saidcylinder for regulating the rapidity of the action of the controller, abulb operating or compressing device, a lock-latch for the said device,and means for carrying the locklatch from looking position, controlledby the said electric controller, as set forth.

6. In a photographic apparatus, an electric controller, comprising abase, a spring-controlled arm pivoted on the base, a contact carried bythe said base, a second contact carried by the arm, and a trigger forlocking the arm, so that the two contacts will be separated, asdescribed.

7 In a photographic apparatus, an electric controller, comprising abase, a spring-controlled arm pivoted on the base, a contact car ried bythe said base, a second contact carried by the arm, atrigger for lockingthe arm so that the two contacts will be separated, a valve-controlledcylinder, a piston for the cylinder, and a connection between thepistonrod and the said arm, as described.

8. In a photographic apparatus, a bulb operating or compressing device,comprising pivotally-connected arms, a tension device located betweenthe arms, oppositelycurved heads carried by the arms, a tension deviceacting to normally carry the said heads in direction of each other, anda latch pivoted to one arm and adapted for locking engagement with theother arm, as described.

9. In a photographic apparatus, a bulb operating or compressing device,comprising pivotally-connected arms, a tension devicelocated between thearms, oppositely-curved heads carried by the arms, a tension deviceacting to normally carry the said heads in direction of each other, alatch pivoted to one arm and adapted for locking engagement with theother arm, a cup carried by the head of one of the arms, and a platefitted to the cup, carried by the head of the opposing arm, for thepurposes set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN H. HAMMER.

WVitnesses:

MARTIN C. J OHNSON, PETER J. BLoM.

